This report describes the typical weather at the Mount Pleasant Royal Air Force Base (Falkland Islands) weather station over the course of an average February. It is based on the historical records from 1999 to 2012. Earlier records are either unavailable or unreliable.

Falkland Islands has a polar tundra climate. The area within 25 mi of this station is covered by tundra (57%), oceans and seas (40%), and grasslands (2%).

The month of February is characterized by essentially constant daily high temperatures, with daily highs around 59°F throughout the month, exceeding 67°F or dropping below 50°F only one day in ten.

Daily High and Low Temperature in February

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The daily average low (blue) and high (red) temperature with percentile bands (inner band from 25th to 75th percentile, outer band from 10th to 90th percentile).

Fraction of Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands in February

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The average fraction of time spent in various temperature bands: frigid (below 15°F), freezing (15°F to 32°F), cold (32°F to 50°F), cool (50°F to 65°F), comfortable (65°F to 75°F), warm (75°F to 85°F), hot (85°F to 100°F) and sweltering (above 100°F).

Over the course of February, the length of the day is rapidly decreasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day decreases by 1:50 hours, implying an average day-over-day decrease of 3.8 minutes.

The shortest day of the month is February 29 with 13:28 hours of daylight; the longest day is February 1 with 15:18 hours of daylight.

Daily Hours of Daylight and Twilight in February

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The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line), with various degrees of daylight, twilight, and night, indicated by the color bands. From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray): full daylight, solar twilight (Sun is visible but less than 6° from the horizon), civil twilight (Sun is not visible but is less than 6° below the horizon), nautical twilight (Sun is between 6° and 12° below the horizon), astronomical twilight (Sun is between 12° and 18° below the horizon), and full night.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:28am on February 1; the latest sunset is at 8:46pm on February 1; the latest sunrise is at 6:21am on February 29; the earliest sunset is at 7:50pm on February 29.

Daylight savings time (DST) is not observed in 2012.

Daily Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in February

The solar day over the course of the year 2012 . From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (solar, civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The median cloud cover is 82% (mostly cloudy) and does not vary substantially over the course of the month.

Median Cloud Cover in February

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The median daily cloud cover (black line) with percentile bands (inner band from 40th to 60th percentile, outer band from 25th to 75th percentile).

On February 15, a representative day, the sky is clear or mostly clear 20% of the time, partly cloudy 16% of the time, and mostly cloudy or overcast 58% of the time.

Cloud Cover Types in February

The fraction of time spent in each of the five sky cover categories. From top (most blue) to bottom (most gray), the categories are clear, mostly clear, partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, and overcast. Pink indicates missing data. Outside of the United States clear skies are often reported ambiguously, leading them to be lumped in with the missing data.

The average probability that some form of precipitation will be observed in a given day is 73%, with little variation over the course of the month.

Probability of Precipitation at Some Point in the Day in February

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The fraction of days in which various types of precipitation are observed. If more than one type of precipitation is reported in a given day, the more severe precipitation is counted. For example, if light rain is observed in the same day as a thunderstorm, that day counts towards the thunderstorm totals. The order of severity is from the top down in this graph, with the most severe at the bottom.

Throughout February, the most common forms of precipitation are moderate rain and light rain.

Moderate rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 52% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around February 23, when it is observed during 39% of all days.

Light rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 32% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around February 2, when it is observed during 26% of all days.

Types of Precipitation Throughout February

Relative frequency of various types of precipitation over the course of a typical February.

The likelihood of snow falling is highest around February 29, occurring in 4% of days.

Probability of Snow Fall Being Reported in a Given Day in February

Probability that snow will be reported at least once in a given day.

Either snow rarely accumulates at this location in February or snow depth measurements are unavailable or unreliable.

The relative humidity typically ranges from 50% (mildly humid) to 94% (very humid) over the course of a typical February, rarely dropping below 36% (comfortable) and reaching as high as 100% (very humid).

The air is driest around February 1, at which time the relative humidity drops below 58% (mildly humid) three days out of four; it is most humid around February 6, rising above 92% (very humid) three days out of four.

Relative Humidity in February

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The average daily high (blue) and low (brown) relative humidity with percentile bands (inner bands from 25th to 75th percentile, outer bands from 10th to 90th percentile).

Dew point is often a better measure of how comfortable a person will find the weather than relative humidity because it more directly relates to whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid.

Over the course of a typical February, the dew point typically varies from 36°F (dry) to 48°F (dry) and is rarely below 31°F (dry) or above 54°F (very comfortable).

Dew Point in February

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The daily average low (blue) and high (red) dew point with percentile bands (inner band from 25th to 75th percentile, outer band from 10th to 90th percentile).

Over the course of February typical wind speeds vary from 5 mph to 29 mph (light breeze to strong breeze), rarely exceeding 38 mph (gale).

The highest average wind speed of 18 mph (fresh breeze) occurs around February 3, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 29 mph (strong breeze).

The lowest average wind speed of 16 mph (moderate breeze) occurs around February 24, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 26 mph (strong breeze).

Wind Speed in February

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The average daily minimum (red), maximum (green), and average (black) wind speed with percentile bands (inner band from 25th to 75th percentile, outer band from 10th to 90th percentile).

Wind Directions in February

The fraction of time spent with the wind blowing from the various directions over the entire year. Values do not sum to 100% because the wind direction is undefined when the wind speed is zero.

Fraction of Time Spent with Various Wind Directions in February

The fraction of time spent with the wind blowing from the various directions on a daily basis. Stacked values do not always sum to 100% because the wind direction is undefined when the wind speed is zero.